AP:

A former North Carolina congressional candidate won’t face state charges in an absentee ballot fraud investigation that’s already led to indictments against his hired political operative and a new election, a local prosecutor said on Wednesday.

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said her office “is closing the matter” involving the Rev. Mark Harris, who ran for the 9th Congressional District seat in 2018.

State and federal agencies spent more than a year investigating the involvement of Harris and his campaign in absentee ballot operations in Bladen County. Freeman told The Associated Press that her office decided against charging Harris after speaking last week with a key witness she declined to identify….

“Candidates for elected office have a duty to uphold the public’s faith by not only following the law, but by exercising sound judgment,” Freeman said in her statement, adding that “Harris’ decision to relinquish his seat and call for a new election in which he did not participate were important steps in restoring the confidence of the voters in District 9.”